Prairie State Outdoors

Hall of Fame nominations open

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:29:19 +0000

Nominations are now being accepted by the Illinois Conservation Foundation for the 2011 class of the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame.

Warmer Great Lakes: Nice for a dip, but worrisome

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:59:41 +0000

The Great Lakes have been at or near record high temperatures - and there's still a month left before the lakes typically hit their warmest levels of the year.

Apply now for Decatur-area bow hunt

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:50:01 +0000

Big fish Fridays: Record brown trout

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:01:29 +0000

A brown trout weighing almost 42 pounds has been confirmed as a Wisconsin record and could also be a world record.

CRP sign-up comes just in time

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:55:16 +0000

Acres are expected to go fast when the first general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program opens Aug. 2-27.

Duck, goose calling contests ahead

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:45:18 +0000

Feds, farmers create migrating bird habitat

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:41:49 +0000

Government officials hope to have 150,000 acres of manmade wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico ready by Aug. 15 to provide food and rest areas for migrating birds displaced by the oil spill.

Iowa fishing report 7-29-10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:41:24 +0000

Illinois fishing report 7-29-10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:38:23 +0000

Now's the time for Illinois anglers to go river fishing, target channel catfish or generally to wet a line early or late.

Missouri fishing report 7-29-10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:25:20 +0000

Chicago Sun-Times fish report 7-29-10

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:52:55 +0000

Squirrel season approaching

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:29:03 +0000

Squirrel season opens Sunday across Illinois and offers hunters the first chance to take to the timber.

Fish kills haunt pond owners

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:01:22 +0000

August is typically the busy month for fish kills, but this year they have started earlier than usual in Illinois.

Big Lake Michigan brown trout

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:47:34 +0000

Watch Larry and Nancy catch a big 15-pound brown trout with Capt. Nick Ganzer aboard the MERGANZER out of Waukegan on July 27.

General CRP signup in August

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:40:44 +0000

Indiana settles on design for Asian carp fencing

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:27:44 +0000

Lake Shelbyville Dam doing fine at 40

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:25:20 +0000

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says rumors about the demise of the Lake Shelbyville dam are greatly exaggerated.

Peoria state wildlife park focuses on survival

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:14:40 +0000

New business plan may be key to the future for Wildlife Prairie State Park.

Illinois dentist lands big fish in SC waters

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:22:05 +0000

Illinois dentist Stephen Liesen caught a 380-pound lemon shark while fishing off the coast of South Carolina.

Illinoisan finds oasis for bears

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:38:36 +0000

Illinois photographer Jim Miller says there's good reason that Minnesota's Vince Shute sanctuary is billed as “the best place to see wild black bears in their natural habitat.”

Sandhill cranes spreading in Illinois

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 05:25:39 +0000

Sandhill cranes are making a major comeback in Illinois, with population increases of up to 30 percent per year in some areas.

Wis. DNR unveils new 15-year CWD plan

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:17:59 +0000

Nauvoo man finds inspiration carving wood

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 16:09:26 +0000

Man indicted in ATV-related deer deaths

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:06:04 +0000

A central Illinois man has been indicted on charges that accuse him of using an ATV to run down seven deer near Clinton Lake.

Missouri fishing report 7-22-10

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:22:35 +0000

Iowa fishing report 7-22-10

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:16:27 +0000

Groups study Great Lakes-Mississippi River split

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:24:38 +0000

Groups representing states and cities in the Great Lakes region kicked off a $2 million study on cutting links between the lakes and the Mississippi River watershed.

Motorcyclist who hit deer dies of injuries

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:23:43 +0000

New world record blue catfish?

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:19:34 +0000

Greg Bernal's 130-pound blue catfish out of the Missouri River is expected to be the new world record.

5 states sue feds over Asian carp

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 00:48:08 +0000

Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota and Pennsylvania filed suit with a lower federal court demanding tougher federal and municipal action to prevent Asian carp from overrunning the Great Lakes.

Friends hope to help Rice Lake

Sun, 18 Jul 2010 06:33:56 +0000

Faced with ailing natural areas in central Illinois, a group of hunters, anglers and outdoors enthusiasts have banded together to form a new advocacy group called Friends of Rice Lake.

Study examines why bears are so healthy

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:00:09 +0000

Summer on the prairie full of color

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:46:58 +0000

Visit a prairie now to get the feeling of order in the tall grass.

Rare butterflies breeding in Illinois

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:27:21 +0000

Researchers are breeding rare regal fritillary butterflies at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum outside Chicago.

WREP sign-up along Illinois River

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 20:36:23 +0000

Groups denounce use of coal ash on levees

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:48:19 +0000

Big Fish Fridays: Two for one

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 08:12:48 +0000

For a change, retired waterfowl biologist Steve Havera returned from Canada with bragging rights over his sons.

Iowa fishing report 7-15-10

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:21:56 +0000

Larry’s Casting Kids youth event

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:19:51 +0000

Muskie dead in Evergreen spillway

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:51:56 +0000

Remembering Halley’s Comet in 1910, 1986

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:37:45 +0000

Bass Pro competitors not worried

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:23:43 +0000

Store owners say they're up to the challenge of Bass Pro Shops coming to East Peoria, but one questions the city's role in luring the business.

Blackberries worth thorny price

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:17:37 +0000

Missouri fishing report 7-15-10

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:15:25 +0000

Controversy at taxidermy convention

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:08:11 +0000

The National Taxidermists Association convention opened in Springfield after the recent resignations of its president and three board members.

Illinois fishing report 7-15-10

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:40:38 +0000

Fewer anglers are out in the heat and fewer fish are biting, though channel catfish and salmon are still cooperating. The key is rising early or fishing late.

Illini State Park trees being removed

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:48:00 +0000

Indiana plans barrier to block carp

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:47:29 +0000

ICF holding celebrity deer hunt

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 19:51:44 +0000

Illinois recommends waterfowl dates

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:51:15 +0000

Illinois' waterfowl season recommendations include opening the regular duck and Canada goose seasons on Oct. 16 in the North Zone, Oct. 30 in the Central Zone and Nov. 25 in the South Zone.